TO JOIN

Are you a U.S. veteran who served in Korea between 1945 and the present? Then you may be eligible to join the Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter No. 223. Call 361-578-2628 to learn more.

We call it "The Forgotten War," but to Korean War veteran Bud Sappington, the years between 1950 and 1953 is a time period he will never forget.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

Sappington, 82, who served in the U.S. Army from 1947 to 1953, was one of the first soldiers to fight in the Korean War and suffered multiple bullet injuries to the left side of his face, his jaw, shoulder and arm.

"I was also wounded with shrapnel two different times," Sappington said. "I felt awful lucky because I was in close combat for 13 months."

Sappington and four other Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter No. 223 members shared their war stories with a group of freshmen at the University of Houston-Victoria on Tuesday.

"There's a lot of tensions going on with North Korea right now that most people don't know about," Akins said. "This book gives a real contrast with probably one of the most repressed societies on Earth to the United States. By reading this book, our students will have a picture of how good we have it here and the enormous amount of opportunities they have in their lives."

Karen Borrego, 18, a UHV freshman, said she's almost done with the book.

"It's been a really interesting read," Borrego said. "It's hard to picture that there's stuff like that going on in the world."

The veterans spoke to a full room of students who lined the back walls of the university venue.

"These are men who put their lives on the line and performed a great service," Akins said. "Not just for Americans but for the people of South Korea."